Envelop.



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(No Model.) (Application led Jan. 23, 1900.)

NITED STATES PATENT FFIC.

HARRYM. CUTLER, OF MONTPELIER, VERMONT.

ENVELO P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,638, dated April 3, 1900.

A Application led January 23, 1900. Serial No. 2,496. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wir/0711] t may concern:

Be it known .that I, HARRY M. CUTLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Montpelier, in kthe county of Washington and State of Vermont, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Envelops, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved expansible document or ile envelop or wrapper.

The object of the invention is to produce a single blank which has an arrangementof flaps or wings, scorings, slits, and an interlocking tongueand which when properly folded constitutes an envelop for closely adhering to and containing theA papers and for permitting most readily the expansion of the envelop to accord with the increased bulk of its contents, especial provision being made for the maintenance of the packet with quite sharply deiined square edges and also with the portions of the blank which are brought into adjoining relations at the corners of the packet so closely disposed as to produce a more nearly completely-closed envelop than has heretofore been usual in expanding envelops of the same general class.

The purpose under this invention is to provide blanks which may be delivered in fiat or sheet form and which are susceptible of having the various members thereof readily folded the one relatively to the other to inclose the documents, whether of slight or considerable thickness, it being understood that no adhesive, cords, or tapes, or fastening devices of any character aside from those created by formations of the blank are required.

The invention consists in the expansible en-Q velop or wrapper constituted by the single blank having the form and features of construction hereinafter fully described, and shown in the accompanying drawings and specified in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the envelop or file-wrapper, shown as partially folded for the reception of the papers therewithin and in readiness thereafter to be further folded for the complete inclosure of the contents. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on a somewhat-larger scale of the envelop in its expanded and completed folded and closed form. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank, which in its entirety constitutes and may be made up into the inclosing file-wrapper. Fig. 4 is a rearview of the device shown as in its folded-up and non-expanded condition in readiness for the reception of papers therein.

Similar characters of reference indicate co1'- responding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A represents the blank, of which a represents the rectangular portion or section which constitutes the front of the envelop, said portion a having` continued from the opposite ends thereof the comparativelylong flaps or wings b b2, and from its lower edge it has the portion B, which comprises the section d, to be folded over the adjoined and interlocked end flaps b b2, and the section b2, to be, when bent or folded on the proper scoring-line,disposed upon and within the section a, which constitutes the front, and at the opposite or upper edge of the section d is the Iiap or wing f.

The flaps or sections f and cland b b2 have the scores g extending on the marginal lines of said section aand also in parallelism with each other and with the side or end, as the case may be, of the said section a, said scores being for facilitating the folding of the several flaps on any of such folding-lines inthe expansion of the envelop to make it conform to the increasing bulk of the contents, and between the portion d and the portion d2 the ap B is provided with several of the similar scoring-lines g.

The end flap b has outwardly beyond its scoring-lines g the several slitsj, parallel with said scoring-lines and which' terminate suitably within the edges of said flap, and the opposite end flap b2 has its extremity formed with the outwardly-rounded and inwardlyshouldered tongue ,to be interlocked through one or another of said slits.

In preparing the blank for use to inclose at first a comparatively few thicknesses of papers, parts f, b, b2, d, and f are folded on the 'marginal lines of front section a and superimposed, the tongue of b2 being interlocked through that slitj on part b which is innermost, the flap d2 being folded on the inner scoring-line of the outer series between d and d2, and the papers being placed underthe in- Y IOO terloeked end flaps b b2 the flap d has its position on said inter-locked end iiap, parts d2 being inserted within the envelop, and the cover-ilapf overlies the back. The said end portion d2 of the long flap B in being carried within the envelop has its position next inside of and against the interlocked end wings b and b2, as shown in Fig. 2 and in a manner indicated in Fig. 4. This portion d2 serves two purposes. First, it serves as a protector or guard to the parts interlocked by the tongue and slit, and thereby prevents any of the contents of the packet becoming caught in or engaged with the said parts b b2 or the locking devices thereof, and, secondly, it entirely locks the envelop, fitting nicely over the said wings b b2 in any condition to which the envelop is expanded.

As the envelop requires to be expanded to give therewithin increased space for occupancy of the accumulating papers, the iiaps b b2 are disengaged, bent at substantially right angles to the long narrow sections l0 between the scores g, and again interlocked, and aps d and cl2 and f are then bent on correspondingly-proper scoring-lines to produce by the narrow areas between the scoringlines clearly-defined squared end walls to the packet.

Fig. 2 indicates the cross-sectional aspect of the envelop expanded to about its maximum extent.

The end wings or flaps having the provision whereby the one may be interlocked with the other constitute, in effect, a binder for confining the inclosed papers in closely-disposed relations and serve most efficiently to prevent the distortion or undue loosening apart of the packet.

The outer section d2 of flap B, by its insertion and engagement within the envelop, holds the parts comprised in said wing in the proper closed relations, and the overlap by the outside or back flap f insures the complete closure of the packet at its upper edge.

Inasmuch as the several wings or fiaps are tapered or convergent outwardly as and for the same purpose that is commonly carried out in respect to the flaps of various descriptions of knockdown envelops and folding boxes, there would be as the envelop expands the leaving of openings at the corners of the packet. I have therefore constructed the outermost several slits j j somewhat closer together than the space between the innermost two slits, so that after the envelop has been partially expanded in the further distention of the contents the tongue and slit interlocked end flaps b and b2 become by reason of the spacing between the slits, which is somewhat less than double the width of the spaces between the scoring-lines g g, held with such firmness and closeness at the ends as to decrease the liability thereat of Y openings being formed, especially at the rear corners of the packet, and thus dust is the more eiectually excluded.

One of the leading and important characteristics of this invention consists in the eapability which the envelop has of allowing expansion by degrees as the contents increase, confining all suoli expansion to the sides and back of the envelop, thus leaving the entire front a square-faced with no detraction from the top, bottom, or sides, as is the case with other expansion envelops not constructed with the features and provisions embodied in the envelop herein described.

I am aware that there are several existing patented constructions showing that it is not at this time new to construct an envelop having the capability of expansion because of scorings on folding-lines and that it is not new to produce a receptacle produced by a blank having portions or sections extending from the four sides of the portion which constitutes the main wall of the device, and I wish it understood that I desire to make no claim so broad as to cover constructions and appliances known to be old; but

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, is-

An expansible document-envelop or filewrapper composed of the single blank integrally formed and comprising the rectangular section a, constituting the front, the opposite end wings l) and b2, the one being provided with a series of parallel slits l7' j, and the other with a shouldered locking-tongue i, the flap B comprising the section cl, and the section d2 extended from the lower edge of the front section, and the flap f extended from the upper edge of said section, all ofthe said iiaps having the series of scored foldinglines g, on, and parallel with their junction with the section a, and a similar series of scoring-lines on the flap B between the sections cZ and d2, the whole arranged to be brought to the form of the packet-inclosure, substantially as described and shown.

Signed by me this 18th day of January, 1.900.

H. M. CUTLER.

Witnesses:

FRANK K. Goss, J. E. FLANAGAN.

IOO 

